plant-based wholefoods on a budget

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Really tasty and satisfying, using simple inexpensive ingredients available from any supermarket, this is my current favourite meal.

I must confess I never get on well with stir frying tofu, it sticks and breaks apart without fail, so instead this recipe includes tofu cubes marinated and baked into firm savoury nuggets of yumminess.

Feel free to add fresh or ground chilli and ginger for an extra kick. And as for vegetables, do whatever you feel. I like to use inexpensive veg like carrots, peppers, onions, cabbage, mushrooms and garlic. But if feeling fancy, you can use bok choi, water chestnuts, beansprouts or lotus root.

First I pressed and cubed a 400g block of tofu, then I coated it with a mixture of: 1 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil and 1 tbsp cornflour. Then I placed the cubes on a greased baking sheet and baked them at 200C for 20 mins. took the recipe from here: https://cookieandkate.com/2016/how-t…u/print/24123/

Second I made up the sweet and sour sauce and set to one side: mix the juice from a 227g tine of pineapple chunks in juice, 4 tbsp soya sauce, 1/4 cup agave syrup, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 & 1/2 tbsp cornflour. Recipe from here: http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/ma…e-and-peppers/

Third I chopped lots of fresh veggies from the fridge – about 1kg – tonight we had sliced onions, sliced mushrooms, finely sliced carrots, finely sliced cabbage and garlic.

Lastly I stir fried the veg in a tablespoon of sesame oil for a few mins. Added in pineapple chunks, heated. Then added the sauce mix. Cooked the sauce for a few mins to thicken then stirred in the tofu. Heated through and served over some boiled short grain brown rice.

These tofu and millet patties are a play on Japanese tofu fritters. Very savoury and satisfying. Could be put in a bun if desired. I usually double this recipe and freeze the extras. Can be baked from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

Method

Gently cook the millet grain in 1/2 cup boiling water and 1 tsp bouillon powder until all the liquid has been absorbed and the millet is soft and sticky (keep the lid on the pan during cooking). leave to sit and cool.

Add crumbled tofu, garlic, cooked millet, sesame seeds, cornflour, ginger and soya sauce to food processor and process into a firm, slightly sticky ball. It helps at this point to chill the mixture in the fridge, but not essential.

Divide the mixture into four to six balls and shape into patties. Coat lightly in brown rice flour.

Brush a baking tray with oil and place the patties on the tray. Then brush the patties with oil.

Bake at 200C for 25 mins.

Serve with stir fried rice or noodles and greens for dinner, or a mixed salad for lunch.

I find this a really handy blend to keep in the cupboard for when we make fajitas. Simple, fast and easy. Just cook up your mix of fresh chunky veggies (we use peppers, onions and mushrooms) and stir in towards the end of cooking. I probably use about two tablespoons per batch. Allow the spice mix to thicken and coat your veggies evenly and serve wrapped in a warm tortilla with other toppings as desired.

Fajita Seasoning Mix

Ingredients

3 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp chilli powder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tbsp onion granules

1/2 tbsp garlic granules

1/4 tbsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp ground cumin

Method

It’s not quite autumn yet, but this is one of my favourite autumnal soups. Nice and warming and very satisfying. Super frugal if you’ve grown your own butternut squash, which I highly recommend doing. Butternuts are incredibly easy to grow and store for months in a dark cool cupboard. Unlike the classic Halloween pumpkin, they’re also the perfect size to cook with.

Chilli Sage Butternut Squash Soup – vegan & wholefood

1 butternut squash (about 1kg), peeled and cubed

2 potatoes (about 500g), peeled and cubed

2 red onions, diced

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 sticks of celery, diced

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp dried sage

2 tbsp lemon juice

700 ml hot vegetable stock

1/4 cup almond milk (if needed)

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in a large lidded pan until just tender.

Stir in the chilli flakes and sage.

Add the potatoes, butternut squash and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, add the lid and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Puree with a hand held blender until nice and smooth. Stir in the lemon juice.

This is a really nice summery dish. Though it’s close to a traditional Spanish vegetable paella I like to use brown rice instead of white for its better nutritional profile. This means it needs parboiling first to ensure it’s cooked through properly.

I find the most convenient shop to get short grain brown rice from is Holland & Barrett, though it’s also possible to purchase great value larger bulk quantities from online stores such as Goodness Direct.

Artichokes are a bit of a luxury item, however the marinated ones are really delicious and are well worth including in this dish. I find the best place to purchase posh anitpasti is in budget supermarkets like Lidl or ALDI which stock lots of lower cost continental foods.

No doubt an anathema to real paella oficionadoes, I like to use frozen vegetables in my paella, both for price (frozen vegetables are usually really cheap when compared to fresh) and convenience.